A Little Dirt Therapy

When stress is getting you down, a little dirt therapy always helps. Last week a couple of friends and I visited fellow blogger Phillip Oliver's garden in Florence, Alabama. His blog is aptly called Dirt Therapy. His garden is over twenty years old, and it has a unique character that reflects its owners. My first impression, standing in front of the house, was that it was a relatively small garden; but that was deceiving, as arbors open to garden rooms and more paths to explore. It climbs and reaches and stretches about, and with the soothing songs of happy birds and chattering squirrels, the peace of it all enveloped me as I explored its paths.

I love the way art objects dress up the side of this old garage.

One can not walk fast through this garden! There are many art objects and interesting statues to study:

With lush plantings and several water features, this garden is a wildlife refuge in the middle of a city. 

A satisfied Brown Thrasher!

It was a great day of Dirt Therapy for internet friends, brought face to face through our love of gardening. 

Under the Deep Blue Sea

On a recent visit to Atlanta we spent one day exploring the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The next day was hot and sultry, and we retreated to the cool comfort of the Georgia Aquarium. This world class aquarium is a must see for anyone visiting the Atlanta area. Even with large crowds the visibility was great, and I wandered for hours, transported into the world of the deep blue sea. The following photos are a hint of what I saw in person.

The creatures above are called jellies, rather than jellyfish, as they are not fish.Above: These fish are not to scale at all. The fish on the bottom right is a giant grouper, and he is HUGE.Above: Life in the sea is varied and fascinating. The little creature on the bottom left is aptly called a sea dragon.

The following photos are all views taken of the enormous display called Ocean Voyager. This tank contains 6.3 million gallons of water.
The very large fish are Whale Sharks. There are four of these magnificent creatures in the display. They came from the waters off the coast of Taiwan.

I took the following shot so one can get a perspective of just how big this tank is!I was fascinated by the Manta Rays, who performed a ballet of twirls and flips:

My visit to the Georgia Aquarium confirmed what I already knew: Our world is filled with fantastic wonders, and most of them I have never seen!